New White House Petition to stop States from banning direct car sales

Lets try to get this over the 100K mark ASAP, or at least close enough that it hits the news cycles prior to election day to give pause to any other "back room politics" elected officials, esp. this close to election day.

If you agree with the petition, I encourage you to sign it right now (and of course, tell your friends and family that are not regular visitors of TMC too that would be supportive).

I'm not accustomed to American law. But you can order anything off the web. Showrooms are nothing new either. How do you argue that cars should somehow be exempt from all other products? And regarding competition, aren't other manufacturers free to have direct sales over the internet as well? If the dealers are expensive middlemen, then the suppliers can have lower internet prices, as is the case for all other products.

The only problem i see is that when the dealers disappear, buying a car is gonna be a lot more bothersome. So in the end i think the dealers have a place to fill, just like the technology stores have despite internet sales. Maybe they have to transform and become fewer. May be car manufacturers will have to start paying Showroom-owners for a spot to advertise their new cars???

That petition link just goes to a list of petitions. Is there an updated one?

Anyway, the idea is good since manufacturers should be allowed to have their own stores. Just as Apple and Microsoft have theirs, Tesla should be allowed to do so as well. Dealerships mark up the manufacturer's price, so this does not benefit the consumer and may even cause a loss of sales. Independently-owned dealerships frequently result in inconsistent customer experiences too.

Money quote, "We believe in the goal of improving consumer choice for American families, including more vehicles that provide savings at the pump for consumers. However, we understand that pre-empting current state laws on direct-to-consumer auto sales would require an act of Congress."

Instead of petitioning the White House, we should be working on our elected representatives in Congress. That's where this issue currently lies...on a national level. On a state by state basis, it would help to contact your state legislatures. If I was on the board of Plug-In America, I'd be setting up a "click here to email your state representative" website that floods inboxes.

Money quote, "We believe in the goal of improving consumer choice for American families, including more vehicles that provide savings at the pump for consumers. However, we understand that pre-empting current state laws on direct-to-consumer auto sales would require an act of Congress."

Instead of petitioning the White House, we should be working on our elected representatives in Congress. That's where this issue currently lies...on a national level. On a state by state basis, it would help to contact your state legislatures. If I was on the board of Plug-In America, I'd be setting up a "click here to email your state representative" website that floods inboxes.

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Which is why mid-term voting needs to be just as important as the presidential one. You should figure out the best politician that aligns with our quest in your area and vote tomorrow.

I understand your frustration, I don't think hardly anyone that voted for the first petition was satisfied with the response from the White House either.

What I hope supporting this petition will do is draw a bit more attention to the issue. Its clear that the vast majority of Americans support Tesla and any other car maker that does not already have franchises to be able to sell directly. Many might support the whole franchises system to be done away with, but that is beyond the scope of what I am focused on.

If the new petition draws a enough supports to get a new response, its likely it will get some press coverage beyond the domain do Tesla. This is the what we need, some sunshine on the issue.

Do I think petition alone is gonna change any laws or get a presidential executive order? Quite unlikely.

Do I think it will help, at least in a small way, to get the issue out to the 95% of American who are unaware that Tesla is barred from selling its cars in several states? Yeah, I do.

It's a war. For the moment, we lost the battle in Michigan. Do I eventually think we will win the war, yeah I do.

Instead of petitioning the White House, we should be working on our elected representatives in Congress. That's where this issue currently lies...on a national level. On a state by state basis, it would help to contact your state legislatures. If I was on the board of Plug-In America, I'd be setting up a "click here to email your state representative" website that floods inboxes.

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I'm not sure much can be done on a national level. The constitution only allows congress to regulate interstate commerce. Presumably buying from a brick-and-mortar Tesla store does not count. (That's barring a constitution amendment, of course.) So I agree about contacting your state legislators, but congress is probably a waste of time.

I understand your skepticism about the Feds doing anything on the issue, but my reason to ask people to support the petition is to garner media attention.

Almost everyone on TMC knows about the issues of some states blocking direct sales, but 99% of the American public has no idea about this. When they hear about it, the vast majority will be supportive to have the polices changed. Doubtful this petition alone will do the trick, but it could contribute to the process.